Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 19 September 2012
19 Sep 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Rail
It is not quite the fantastic news that we were promised in the SNP manifesto, is it?
In the press release from Transport Scotland, the minister was quoted as saying:
“I am very excited to be announcing the details of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, which will take train journeys on Scotland’s busiest commuter route into the next generation.”
He was not so excited that he felt the need to share the details with the Scottish Parliament, perhaps because the programme was a shadow of its former self.
For some time after the announcement, Transport Scotland’s website displayed the original scheme. The website has now been amended and mentions only Cumbernauld, Springburn, Haymarket, Edinburgh gateway, and route clearance. It includes the helpful information that the Cumbernauld electrification is “Coming Soon”—that sounds like some of our trains—despite the minister’s assurances to Patricia Ferguson that the electrification of the Cumbernauld line will be completed in time for the Commonwealth games.
Transform Scotland has analysed what has been left out. In addition to the electrification of the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa line, more than a dozen elements of the original scheme are missing. Plans for six electric trains per hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow have been downgraded to four diesel trains, apparently as a result of a review by engineering consultants Jacobs Consulting, which so far is unavailable for public scrutiny.
The manifesto commitment was to more frequent and faster services between Edinburgh and Glasgow, including journeys of just half an hour. The current service offers four trains an hour and journey times of between 50 and 55 minutes. Ten minutes off the fastest of those journeys is still 33 per cent more than half an hour. Therefore, there are two commitments not delivered.
The Minister for Transport and Veterans and Transport Scotland have both stated that nothing has been cut from EGIP, but that elements are being phased in. If that is the case, why is there reluctance in answering parliamentary questions from me and my colleague Margaret McCulloch to indicate when those parts of the programme might be implemented?
It is somewhat worrying that the fate of the projects that are not included in phase 1 of EGIP now seems to be linked to the development of high-speed rail. On 21 June, Mr Brown said:
“Organisations across Scotland have come together to make the case for high-speed rail. We will continue to drive forward work on that while ensuring that EGIP and the other network improvements are compatible with our approach.”
He also said:
“On EGIP, it is right for us to take into account the possible implications of high-speed rail. We have to ensure that we have a credible and worked-out proposal to make to the UK Government”
and that he would
“take some time and come back with a fuller explanation of what we are doing with EGIP.”—[Official Report, 21 June 2012; c 10419, 10426.]
“Some time” turned out to be 13 days, and the fuller explanation of what the Government was doing was that it was cutting EGIP.
The minister also advised my colleague Mark Griffin in an answer to a written question that
“Further elements of EGIP including the Croy turnback, the electrification of Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa services ... can be delivered in future phases.”
The phrase that was used was “can be”, not “will be”. He also said:
“The timing and specification of future phases will be dependent on other considerations including High Speed Rail”.—[Official Report, Written Answers, 20 August 2012; S4W-08927.]
The United Kingdom Government’s plan for high-speed rail is for the connection to the west midlands to be opened by 2026 and the lines to Manchester and Leeds to be opened by 2032-33. That is hardly an optimistic timetable for the rest of EGIP if it is connected to high-speed rail. Incidentally, if Scotland became an independent country, I do not think that the rest of the UK would be particularly interested in investing up to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
In the press release from Transport Scotland, the minister was quoted as saying:
“I am very excited to be announcing the details of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, which will take train journeys on Scotland’s busiest commuter route into the next generation.”
He was not so excited that he felt the need to share the details with the Scottish Parliament, perhaps because the programme was a shadow of its former self.
For some time after the announcement, Transport Scotland’s website displayed the original scheme. The website has now been amended and mentions only Cumbernauld, Springburn, Haymarket, Edinburgh gateway, and route clearance. It includes the helpful information that the Cumbernauld electrification is “Coming Soon”—that sounds like some of our trains—despite the minister’s assurances to Patricia Ferguson that the electrification of the Cumbernauld line will be completed in time for the Commonwealth games.
Transform Scotland has analysed what has been left out. In addition to the electrification of the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa line, more than a dozen elements of the original scheme are missing. Plans for six electric trains per hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow have been downgraded to four diesel trains, apparently as a result of a review by engineering consultants Jacobs Consulting, which so far is unavailable for public scrutiny.
The manifesto commitment was to more frequent and faster services between Edinburgh and Glasgow, including journeys of just half an hour. The current service offers four trains an hour and journey times of between 50 and 55 minutes. Ten minutes off the fastest of those journeys is still 33 per cent more than half an hour. Therefore, there are two commitments not delivered.
The Minister for Transport and Veterans and Transport Scotland have both stated that nothing has been cut from EGIP, but that elements are being phased in. If that is the case, why is there reluctance in answering parliamentary questions from me and my colleague Margaret McCulloch to indicate when those parts of the programme might be implemented?
It is somewhat worrying that the fate of the projects that are not included in phase 1 of EGIP now seems to be linked to the development of high-speed rail. On 21 June, Mr Brown said:
“Organisations across Scotland have come together to make the case for high-speed rail. We will continue to drive forward work on that while ensuring that EGIP and the other network improvements are compatible with our approach.”
He also said:
“On EGIP, it is right for us to take into account the possible implications of high-speed rail. We have to ensure that we have a credible and worked-out proposal to make to the UK Government”
and that he would
“take some time and come back with a fuller explanation of what we are doing with EGIP.”—[Official Report, 21 June 2012; c 10419, 10426.]
“Some time” turned out to be 13 days, and the fuller explanation of what the Government was doing was that it was cutting EGIP.
The minister also advised my colleague Mark Griffin in an answer to a written question that
“Further elements of EGIP including the Croy turnback, the electrification of Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa services ... can be delivered in future phases.”
The phrase that was used was “can be”, not “will be”. He also said:
“The timing and specification of future phases will be dependent on other considerations including High Speed Rail”.—[Official Report, Written Answers, 20 August 2012; S4W-08927.]
The United Kingdom Government’s plan for high-speed rail is for the connection to the west midlands to be opened by 2026 and the lines to Manchester and Leeds to be opened by 2032-33. That is hardly an optimistic timetable for the rest of EGIP if it is connected to high-speed rail. Incidentally, if Scotland became an independent country, I do not think that the rest of the UK would be particularly interested in investing up to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
References in this contribution
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
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Elaine Murray
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It is not quite the fantastic news that we were promised in the SNP manifesto, is it?In the press release from Transport Scotland, the minister was quoted as...
Jamie Hepburn (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member give way? Interruption.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Order.
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
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Elaine Murray
Lab
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The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
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Elaine Murray
Lab
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The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
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Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
No, not just now. In that statement to the chamber, I committed to continuing the delivery of EGIP and ensuring that it and other network improvements are co...
Sarah Boyack (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member give way on that point?
Keith Brown
SNP
Earlier this year, Network Rail began advanced route-clearance works and the redevelopment of Haymarket station in readiness for increased passenger numbers ...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention, or will he just keep talking?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Order.
Keith Brown
SNP
In December 2012, new Edinburgh to Glasgow via Carstairs services will be introduced. Delivered a year earlier than expected, the new services respond to loc...
Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Lab)
Lab
Will the member give way?
Keith Brown
SNP
I will give way to Patricia Ferguson, but perhaps she could say where the £350 million that the Labour Party says that it intends to reinstate would come from.
Patricia Ferguson
Lab
The minister knows of my long-standing interest in this project. I recently had occasion to write to Network Rail about its consultation process on EGIP. It ...
Keith Brown
SNP
There was no answer to the question about where the £350 million would come from. I note the member’s previous intervention in relation to this—Interruption.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
Order.
Keith Brown
SNP
Her previous contribution was to propagate scare stories about Glasgow station closures that never happened.On the point about the EGIP timetable—
Drew Smith
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention on that point?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Lab
The minister has made it clear that he is not taking an intervention at the moment.
Keith Brown
SNP
On the point that I have just mentioned, we have already started progress towards EGIP and will continue that progress according to the previous timetable of...
Patricia Ferguson
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
No. I have taken one from the member already.The Jacobs review identified a new opportunity to deliver increased capacity by lengthening platforms as part of...
Neil Findlay
Lab
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